Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-hc48f Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T07:48:11.542Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Pharmacological interventions to modulate attentional bias in addiction

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2013

Maartje Luijten ,
Matt Field  and
Ingmar H. A. Franken
Maartje Luijten*
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychology, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Matt Field
Affiliation:
School of Psychology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
Ingmar H. A. Franken
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychology, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
*
*Address for correspondence: Maartje Luijten, PhD, PO Box 1738, 3000 DR Rotterdam, The Netherlands. (Email [email protected])
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Attentional bias in substance-dependent patients is the tendency to automatically direct attention to substance-related cues in the environment. Preclinical models suggest that attentional bias emerges as a consequence of dopaminergic activity evoked by substance-related cues. The aim of the current review is to describe pharmacological mechanisms underlying attentional bias in humans and to critically review empirical studies that aimed to modulate attentional bias in substance-dependent patients by using pharmacological agents. The findings of the reviewed studies suggest that attentional bias and related brain activation may be modulated by dopamine. All of the reviewed studies investigated acute effects of pharmacological agents, while measurements of chronic pharmacological treatments on attentional bias and clinically relevant measures such as relapse are yet lacking. Therefore, the current findings should be interpreted as a proof of principle concerning the role of dopamine in attentional bias. At the moment, there is too little evidence for clinical applications. While the literature search was not limited to dopamine, there is a lack of studies investigating the role of non-dopaminergic neurotransmitter systems in substance-related attentional bias. A focus on neurotransmitter systems such as acetylcholine and noradrenaline could provide new insights regarding the pharmacology of substance-related attentional bias.

Keywords

Addictionattentional biasdopamineincentive-sensitizationpsychopharmacology
Type
Review Articles
Information
CNS Spectrums , Volume 19 , Issue 3 , June 2014 , pp. 239 - 246
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2013 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1.Franken, IH, Stam, CJ, Hendriks, VM, Van den Brink, W. Neurophysiological evidence for abnormal cognitive processing of drug cues in heroin dependence. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2003; 170(2): 205–212.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
2.Kuhn, S, Gallinat, J. Common biology of craving across legal and illegal drugs—a quantitative meta-analysis of cue-reactivity brain response. Eur J Neurosci. 2011; 33(7): 1318–1326.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
3.Franken, IH. Drug craving and addiction: integrating psychological and neuropsychopharmacological approaches. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry. 2003; 27(4): 563–579.Google Scholar
4.Field, M, Cox, WM. Attentional bias in addictive behaviors: a review of its development, causes, and consequences. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2008; 97(1–2): 1–20.Google Scholar
5.Robbins, SJ, Ehrman, RN. The role of attentional bias in substance abuse. Behav Cogn Neurosci Rev. 2004; 3(4): 243–260.Google Scholar
6.Field, M, Munafo, MR, Franken, IH. A meta-analytic investigation of the relationship between attentional bias and subjective craving in substance abuse. Psychol Bull. 2009; 135(4): 589–607.Google Scholar
7.Marhe, R, Luijten, M, van de Wetering, BJ, Smits, M, Franken, IH. Individual differences in anterior cingulate activation associated with attentional bias predict cocaine use after treatment. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2013; 38(6): 1085–1093.Google Scholar
8.Luijten, M, Veltman, DJ, Hester, R, etal. Brain activation associated with attentional bias in smokers is modulated by a dopamine antagonist. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2012; 37(13): 2772–2779.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
9.Ersche, KD, Bullmore, ET, Craig, KJ, etal. Influence of compulsivity of drug abuse on dopaminergic modulation of attentional bias in stimulant dependence. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2010; 67(6): 632–644.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
10.Goldstein, RZ, Woicik, PA, Maloney, T, etal. Oral methylphenidate normalizes cingulate activity in cocaine addiction during a salient cognitive task. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2010; 107(38): 16667–16672.Google Scholar
11.Munafo, MR, Mannie, ZN, Cowen, PJ, Harmer, CJ, McTavish, SB. Effects of acute tyrosine depletion on subjective craving and selective processing of smoking-related cues in abstinent cigarette smokers. J Psychopharmacol. 2007; 21(8): 805–814.Google Scholar
12.Hitsman, B, MacKillop, J, Lingford-Hughes, A, etal. Effects of acute tyrosine/phenylalanine depletion on the selective processing of smoking-related cues and the relative value of cigarettes in smokers. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2008; 196(4): 611–621.Google Scholar
13.Kamboj, SK, Joye, A, Das, RK, etal. Cue exposure and response prevention with heavy smokers: a laboratory-based randomised placebo-controlled trial examining the effects of D-cycloserine on cue reactivity and attentional bias. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2012; 221(2): 273–284.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
14.Franken, IH, Hendriks, VM, Stam, CJ, Van den Brink, W. A role for dopamine in the processing of drug cues in heroin dependent patients. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol. 2004; 14(6): 503–508.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
15.Nikolaou, K, Field, M, Critchley, H, Duka, T. Acute alcohol effects on attentional bias are mediated by subcortical areas associated with arousal and salience attribution. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2013; 38: 1365–1373.Google Scholar
16.Schultz, W, Dayan, P, Montague, PR. A neural substrate of prediction and reward. Science. 1997; 275(5306): 1593–1599.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
17.Robinson, TE, Berridge, KC. The neural basis of drug craving: an incentive-sensitization theory of addiction. Brain Res Brain Res Rev. 1993; 18(3): 247–291.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
18.Volkow, ND, Wang, GJ, Telang, F, etal. Cocaine cues and dopamine in dorsal striatum: mechanism of craving in cocaine addiction. J Neurosci. 2006; 26(24): 6583–6588.Google Scholar
19.Wong, DF, Kuwabara, H, Schretlen, DJ, etal. Increased occupancy of dopamine receptors in human striatum during cue-elicited cocaine craving. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2006; 31(12): 2716–2727.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
20.Zijlstra, F, Booij, J, Van den Brink, W, Franken, IH. Striatal dopamine D2 receptor binding and dopamine release during cue-elicited craving in recently abstinent opiate-dependent males. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol. 2008; 18(4): 262–270.Google Scholar
21.Phillips, PE, Stuber, GD, Heien, ML, Wightman, RM, Carelli, RM. Subsecond dopamine release promotes cocaine seeking. Nature. 2003; 422(6932): 614–618.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
22.Robinson, TE, Berridge, KC. Review. The incentive sensitization theory of addiction: some current issues. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2008; 363(1507): 3137–3146.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
23.Luijten, M, Veltman, DJ, Van den Brink, W, etal. Neurobiological substrate of smoking-related attentional bias. Neuroimage. 2011; 54(3): 2374–2381.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
24.Nestor, L, McCabe, E, Jones, J, Clancy, L, Garavan, H. Differences in “bottom-up” and “top-down” neural activity in current and former cigarette smokers: evidence for neural substrates which may promote nicotine abstinence through increased cognitive control. Neuroimage. 2011; 56(4): 2258–2275.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
25.Janes, AC, Pizzagalli, DA, Richardt, S, etal. Neural substrates of attentional bias for smoking-related cues: an FMRI study. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2010; 35(12): 2339–2345.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
26.Vollstadt-Klein, S, Loeber, S, Richter, A, etal. Validating incentive salience with functional magnetic resonance imaging: association between mesolimbic cue reactivity and attentional bias in alcohol-dependent patients. Addict Biol. 2012; 17(4): 807–816.Google Scholar
27.Blum, K, Braverman, ER, Holder, JM, etal. Reward deficiency syndrome: a biogenetic model for the diagnosis and treatment of impulsive, addictive, and compulsive behaviors. J Psychoactive Drugs. 2000; 32(Suppl i–iv): 1–112.Google Scholar
28.Narendran, R, Martinez, D. Cocaine abuse and sensitization of striatal dopamine transmission: a critical review of the preclinical and clinical imaging literature. Synapse. 2008; 62(11): 851–869.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
29.McTavish, SF, Cowen, PJ, Sharp, T. Effect of a tyrosine-free amino acid mixture on regional brain catecholamine synthesis and release. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 1999; 141(2): 182–188.Google Scholar
30.Evans, AH, Pavese, N, Lawrence, AD, etal. Compulsive drug use linked to sensitized ventral striatal dopamine transmission. Ann Neurol. 2006; 59(5): 852–858.Google Scholar
31.Cools, R. Role of dopamine in the motivational and cognitive control of behavior. Neuroscientist. 2008; 14(4): 381–395.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
32.Peterson, BS, Potenza, MN, Wang, Z, etal. An FMRI study of the effects of psychostimulants on default-mode processing during stroop task performance in youths with ADHD. Am J Psychiatry. 2009; 166(11): 1286–1294.Google Scholar
33.Volkow, ND, Fowler, JS, Wang, GJ. The addicted human brain viewed in the light of imaging studies: brain circuits and treatment strategies. Neuropharmacology. 2004; 47(Suppl 1): 3–13.Google Scholar
34.Wiers, RW, Bartholow, BD, Van den Wildenberg, E, etal. Automatic and controlled processes and the development of addictive behaviors in adolescents: a review and a model. Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 2007; 86(2): 263–283.Google Scholar
35.Goldstein, RZ, Volkow, ND. Dysfunction of the prefrontal cortex in addiction: neuroimaging findings and clinical implications. Nat Rev Neurosci. 2011; 12(11): 652–669.Google Scholar
36.Goudriaan, AE, Veltman, DJ, van den Brink, W, Dom, G, Schmaal, L. Neurophysiological effects of modafinil on cue-exposure in cocaine dependence: a randomized placebo-controlled cross-over study using pharmacological fMRI. Addict Behav. 2013; 38(2): 1509–1517.Google Scholar
37.Schmaal, L, Joos, L, Koeleman, M, etal. Effects of modafinil on neural correlates of response inhibition in alcohol-dependent patients. Biol Psychiatry. 2013; 73(3): 211–218.Google Scholar
38.Myers, KM, Carlezon, WA Jr. D-cycloserine effects on extinction of conditioned responses to drug-related cues. Biol Psychiatry. 2012; 71(11): 947–955.Google Scholar
39.Sarter, M, Givens, B, Bruno, JP. The cognitive neuroscience of sustained attention: where top-down meets bottom-up. Brain Res Brain Res Rev. 2001; 35(2): 146–160.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
40.Bushnell, PJ, Levin, ED, Marrocco, RT, etal. Attention as a target of intoxication: insights and methods from studies of drug abuse. Neurotoxicol Teratol. 2000; 22(4): 487–502.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
41.Moore, H, Fadel, J, Sarter, M, Bruno, JP. Role of accumbens and cortical dopamine receptors in the regulation of cortical acetylcholine release. Neuroscience. 1999; 88(3): 811–822.Google Scholar
42.Berridge, CW, Waterhouse, BD. The locus coeruleus–noradrenergic system: modulation of behavioral state and state-dependent cognitive processes. Brain Res Rev. 2003; 42(1): 33–84.Google Scholar
43.Bymaster, FP, Katner, JS, Nelson, DL, etal. Atomoxetine increases extracellular levels of norepinephrine and dopamine in prefrontal cortex of rat: a potential mechanism for efficacy in attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2002; 27(5): 699–711.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
44.Graf, H, Abler, B, Freudenmann, R, etal. Neural correlates of error monitoring modulated by atomoxetine in healthy volunteers. Biol Psychiatry. 2011; 69(9): 890–897.Google Scholar
45.Hester, R, Nandam, LS, O'Connell, RG, etal. Neurochemical enhancement of conscious error awareness. J Neurosci. 2012; 32(8): 2619–2627.Google Scholar
46.Gardini, S, Caffarra, P, Venneri, A. Decreased drug-cue-induced attentional bias in individuals with treated and untreated drug dependence. Acta Neuropsychiatrica. 2009; 21(4): 179–185.Google Scholar
47.Koob, GF, Ahmed, SH, Boutrel, B, etal. Neurobiological mechanisms in the transition from drug use to drug dependence. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2004; 27(8): 739–749.Google Scholar
48.Forbes, EE, Brown, SM, Kimak, M, etal. Genetic variation in components of dopamine neurotransmission impacts ventral striatal reactivity associated with impulsivity. Mol Psychiatry. 2009; 14(1): 60–70.Google Scholar
49.Luijten, M, Veltman, DJ, Hester, R, etal. The role of dopamine in inhibitory control in smokers and non-smokers: a pharmacological fMRI study. European Neuropsychopharmacology. In press. DOI:10.1016/j.euroneuro.2012.10.017.Google Scholar
50.Amato, L, Minozzi, S, Pani, PP, Davoli, M. Antipsychotic medications for cocaine dependence. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2007;(3): CD006306.Google ScholarPubMed
51.Field, M, Duka, T, Tyler, E, Schoenmakers, T. Attentional bias modification in tobacco smokers. Nicotine Tob Res. 2009; 11(7): 812–822.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
52.Field, M, Duka, T, Eastwood, B, etal. Experimental manipulation of attentional biases in heavy drinkers: do the effects generalise? Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2007; 192(4): 593–608.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
53.Schoenmakers, TM, De Bruin, M, Lux, IFM, etal. Clinical effectiveness of attentional bias modification training in abstinent alcoholic patients. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2010; 109(1–3): 30–36.Google Scholar
54.McHugh, RK, Murray, HW, Hearon, BA, Calkins, AW, Otto, MW. Attentional bias and craving in smokers: the impact of a single attentional training session. Nicotine Tob Res. 2010; 12(12): 1261–1264.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
55.Attwood, AS, O'Sullivan, H, Leonards, U, Mackintosh, B, Munafo, MR. Attentional bias training and cue reactivity in cigarette smokers. Addiction. 2008; 103(11): 1875–1882.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
56.Field, M, Eastwood, B. Experimental manipulation of attentional bias increases the motivation to drink alcohol. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2005; 183(3): 350–357.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
57.Fadardi, JS, Cox, WM. Reversing the sequence: reducing alcohol consumption by overcoming alcohol attentional bias. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2009; 101(3): 137–145.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed